


Kithood

by Binario



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: AU, Birth to Apprenticeship, But the kits have something to say about all, Get to know the characters, Humor sometimes, War, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 19:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11790024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Binario/pseuds/Binario
Summary: All of them young. All of them naïve. All of them different.(For some reason it keeps getting tagged as completed. It's not. Far from it.)





	1. First

"She's so small!"

A high-pitched voice squealed, dissipating the darkness inside her mind. She was so very tired and that voice just made her ears ache. There was a vague feeling of missing something important, something so crucial it could dictate her whole life and-

Wait a heartbeat. _Who_ was she anyway?

Struggling against the fog that was slowly covering her thoughts, she tried to move her body. She was conscious enough to know she had a body and she could feel something soft under her belly and paws. Paws! She had paws! She tried moving them but she could only get them to twitch. Frustrated, she felt her throat contract and a sound came out of it. It was not piercing like the unknown voice, but rather low and rippling. It echoed up in her ears and made her jaws vibrate. Her instincts called it a growl.

An unexpected something nudged her flank harshly, followed by a low, deeper growl than hers and a surprised sound. A gasp, her instincts provided once again. The she-kit yowled her discontent at the noises and prods, instantly feeling someone moving against her. She-kit? Oh, that was what she was! A cat!

"Come on Tigerblaze! Just let me play with them!," the high-pitched voice begged. She decided she didn't like that voice very much.

"Not until they are big enough," a second voice reproached. This one was not high-pitched but rather soft and soothing. It promised warmth and protection, and her instincts labeled it "mother". "Mother" was also called "Tigerblaze", apparently. What was a "Tigerblaze" anyway? _A name_ , her instincts pipped in. So, having a name was natural? Everyone had names? What was her name, then?

"But that will be in forever!," the high-pitched voice whined. "There are no other kits in the nursery!"

There was something soft and silky moving next to her. "You must be a little bit more patient, then. And stop prodding Smokekit!"

Smokekit? That was her! The she-kit decided she liked her new name.

Smokekit rolled to her side, lost in thought. What were the voices talking about? Due to their conversation, she assumed they were currently at the nursery...whatever that was.

"Please Tigerblaze! The sun is up and the apprentices are not here! I have no one to play with."

The she-kit shifted her attention back to the conversation. Apprentices? Sun? Those were some interesting words. When the negative response from Tigerblaze came again, Smokekit felt another nudge. "Come on kit, open your eyes and play with me!"

Smokekit squealed and pawed at the attacker but none of her blows connected with anything. She was fascinated at her paws actually moving, but she was more concerned in fending off the high-pitched voice. A growl was heard from somewhere to her right, but the prodding continued. Greatly annoyed by this, Smokekit blinked open her eyes. The harsh light made her shut them close again but, apparently, it satisfied the attacker, for there were no more nudges.

"Come on", Tigerblaze purred. "Open your eyes again."

The she-kit sniffed, covering her eyes with her paws. That hurt! She though that the world was always dark and warm, and the sudden brightness was disconcerting. Tigerblaze continued to say soothing words, trying to coax her paws away. The bright world was unusual and painful but...

Curiosity took over, her eyelids fluttering open before she was aware of what she was doing. The light burned her eyes but as the heartbeats passed, the pain faded to a dull ache and disappeared. And then, there was color. Bright greens, dark browns, flashes of grey fur... She looked around, finding a pair of green eyes looking back at her. The cat was dark grey with spotted markings, and was smiling with pride. She assumed this was Tigerblaze. The bigger cat (Smokekit had never imagined a cat could be that big) bended over and passed a rough tongue over her forehead. "You got some beautiful eyes."

Smokekit cringed at the contact but said nothing to voice her displeasure. Her instincts suddenly roared at her to stand up and she obeyed without thinking it. They had helped until now, hadn't they?

Her small legs trembled under the new weight and she almost face planted as she fought for balance. Her dark grey paws were difficult to command, and she took a few hesitant and wobbly steps. Tigerblaze purred and motioned to a pair of bundles of fur. "These are Snowkit and Robinkit, your littermates." Smokekit gave them a quick glance but decided that they were not important at the moment. After all, they seemed to still be asleep.

"Now can I play with her? Please?", Smokekit turned around stiffly, recognizing that voice. The movement was too sudden for her, and she fell on her flank with her paws flailing. A dark golden she-cat stood by her, her icy blue eyes pleading. Tigerblaze huffed, grabbing Smokekit by the scruff -much to her protests- and placing her near the sleeping kits. "When she is older."

"But-"

"No buts Firekit."


	2. Play

_The graceful grey cat looked around restlessly, eyes darting to every single crevice. The moonlight bathed them in silver, the illusion broken by the black-as-night spots adorning its pelt. The wind howled a symphony across the valley, creating a powerful current that ruffled the feline's fur and blew up whirlwinds of dust. Long, curved claws slid until they scrapped the ground. Where are you?_

_A figure seemed to materialize from the cliff's walls. It dropped from its perch to the ground like a hunting bird of prey, confidence radiating from its bright green eyes. The newest feline snarled, white fangs gleaming in the twilight. The first cat answered the challenge with a snarl of its own and pounced, landing expertly on its enemy's shoulders. The green-eyed feline rolled, paws swiping at the attacker. They were now locked together in deadly dance, each swirling to avoid a blow while delivering a swipe of their own. To any onlooker, it would seem as if two snakes of silver light were sliding together. The fighters stared at each other as they continued with their choreography, blue fire equaled by a green storm._

_A third figure entered the match before the dancers could react. Sandy-brown and dark grey rolled on the ground for several heartbeats before separating, pelts bristling in outrage. The third feline held an air of power, muscles buckling under its pelt. The powerful cat smirked, unsheathing its claws and ramming the smaller opponent._

"Robinkit! You come in later!"

The sandy-brown kit stopped his struggle to pin down his brother, who stuck out his tongue. Robinkit shot an outraged look at Snowkit at the offense. Smokekit marched up to her siblings, tail lashing in frustration. "We already talked about this! You were the one to give me an edge _after_ I tackled Snowkit, not when he pounced on me!"

"But I was doing nothing!," Robinkit complained, getting off Snowkit. The oldest of the litter sighed in relief, stretching out his legs. Smokekit swatted his sandy-brown brother over the ears. "But you were going to win the fight at the end!"

"I know how you can all play at the same time," a warm, smooth voice reached them. The three littermates turned their heads to see Tigerblaze entering the nursery. The now open thorn entrance allowed the moonlight to wash over them, covering everything in silvery hues. With quick steps, the small cats bounced up to their mother, high-pitched voices mixing in a cacophony of mewls. The black-spotted queen purred in amusement, hushing all of her kits with a flick of her tail. "As soon as the sun rises, I will take you outside."

Before any comment could be made -both complains or agreement- Tigerblaze guided them to their nest. A nearby queen, a ginger she-cat with amber eyes, stirred, awaken by the noise. Upon realizing the source, she gave out a chuckle that attracted Tigerblaze's attention.

"I'm terribly sorry Flaredash," the dark grey she-cat meowed as her kits climbed on the nest. Her fellow queen just shook her head. "I understand. All kits are so full of energy," she whispered, flicking her tail over a black and ginger patched kit resting by her belly. "Some more than others."

Smokekit, ignoring the conversation of the queens, nuzzled her brothers, twisting her body so she could find a comfortable spot between her siblings. Robinkit huffed a protest, but she knew that he was just faking the irritation. The smoky-grey kit looked at the nursery's entrance, narrowing her eyes in an effort of catching anything that could be outside. Curiosity whirled inside her and she vaguely considered going out that heartbeat just so she could tell her brothers what was there. Then Snowkit decided to nuzzle closer and Smokekit realized that it was better to wait for them to wake up. After all, who was going to play with her if they weren't around? And if she went out without them she would never hear the end of it.

The last conscious thoughts she had were full of mystery and excitement. What would she discover out there? Who would she find? She had heard vague explanations of the Camp from Tigerblaze, but she had imagined seeing it by herself. Her heartbeat finally slowed down to match those of her brother's and she knew no more.


	3. Sneeze

The disappointed looks that they were shooting her were making her feel even worse than she felt already. Their Camp-exploring adventure had been cut short after that insignificant (and by StarClan, it really was insignificant! But did her mother listen? Of course not) sneeze. Tigerblaze had immediately grabbed her by the scruff and carried her to the strong-smelling den they were currently in. As usual, she tuned out of the conversation of the adults (who was that ginger tom, anyway?) and reassumed glancing at her brothers in embarrassment. Snowkit just smiled reassuringly at her before directing his attention to the nearing tom. Distrust flashed across his eyes before their mother swatted his nose with her tail. Stop being disrespectful.

Now that Smokekit saw the strange tom closer, she felt the need to curl up in a shadowy corner of the den and cry. And that was strange because she never felt the need to do so before. It was not that he looked dangerous, but something about him made the she-kit nervous. A single ginger paw was raised in her direction. Her lips pealed back in the beginnings of a hiss (very intimidating, given her current midget stature) until her mother shot her such a fierce glare that would had send a badger screaming in fear. She wisely decided to let the stranger do whatever it was he was doing. 

The tom didn’t miss the exchange. Pale green eyes stared at her in exasperation as he prodded her flank with surprising gentleness. Smokekit tried to reign in the sneeze that was building up but only succeeded on making a really embarrassing face. The tom shot her a dry look. Really?

With a tired sigh, the ginger cat turned to Tigerblaze. "It would be best if she stayed in the Nursery for a couple of suns. We might be in Greenleaf, but we don't want that developing into whitecought."

The three siblings glanced at each other in shock. She was going to stay inside for suns? Surely Tigerblaze wouldn't do that, right?

Missing the final exchange between the adults, Smokekit shouted in alarm when her mother grabbed her by the scruff again. She huffed in indignation when she realized what was happening, but she stopped squirming.

"For _suns_?," Snowkit asked the question that brought them so much dread. Tigerblaze merely nodded, letting Smokekit walk by herself as they approached the Nursery. Deciding not to ruin the fun for her brothers, the she-kit trotted up to the Nursery but stopped her brothers from entering. "Continue exploring, I will wait for you here.” Her brothers started to protest, they wanted them to go together to see the Camp, but she slipped inside the Nursery before they stared to really whine about it. There was a moment of silence before the sound of pawsteps fading away reached her ears. Satisfied with herself, Smokekit glanced around, noticing for the first time that there was a ginger-patched tom that watched her curiously from his nest. Upon been discovered, the kit quickly averted his gaze. His tail curled tightly around his paws. 

Is he nervous? Smokekit watched as the kit shrank down under her gaze, apparently mortified with her scrutiny. She decided that the kit was kind of weird. 

“Are you alright?,” she asked warily. The weird kit fixated his amber gaze on a spot on the ground. He mumbled something unintelligibly, cringed, and proceeded to run out of the Nursery.

What. 

Smokekit blinked uncomprehendingly at the entrance for a few heartbeats. Was she really that intimidating?

She paused

Oh yes she _was_. She totally was. She was so intimidating. She was so intimidating that she was going to steal Robinkit’s favorite napping spot and never give it back. He would be so cowed by her very presence that he would never attempt to take it from her. 

Weirdkit forgotten, she padded over to Tigerblaze’s nest and made herself comfortable on her stolen spot. Yes, _really_ intimidating.


End file.
